Ok, you guys are going to hate me for posting this, But This may go along the lines of what Scooter is saying and personally what I believe about the whole Egg shells thing.

Quote:

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed ar ound for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.
She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.
Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage t heir self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to d o with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about shari ng. Funny how lew d, crude, vu! lgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards.
Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

OK, so Yeah, I read that and said "wow, that's exactly what I have been feeling, but couldn't Write out"
And I'm pretty sure Ben Stein isn't some stupid ingornant person. Just a guess.

I don't care if you offend me. I could care less if you put a nativity scene on the courtsquare beside the Christmas tree, in front of the Jewish stuff, just off to the side of the burning cross. That doesn't bother me. It is when those views and beliefs get up and walk inside the courthouse or the halls of Congress and start to influence the laws that affect my right to NOT believe in those things that I become agitated and will fight you tooth and nail to prevent you from transforming those beliefs into laws. That fundametally declares your religion to be sponsored by the state and undermines the Constitution and the rights of the minority to not be repressed by the supposed majority. I tolerate your right to believe and worship up to the point that you try to force those beliefs on me. Then I become INtolerant. However, Christians that are supposed to live by the idea of tolerance and acceptance can't tolerate that I don't wish to believe in their beliefs, so they try to force their views thru passing laws. Don't.

I don't care if you offend me. I could care less if you put a nativity scene on the courtsquare beside the Christmas tree, in front of the Jewish stuff, just off to the side of the burning cross. That doesn't bother me. It is when those views and beliefs get up and walk inside the courthouse or the halls of Congress and start to influence the laws that affect my right to NOT believe in those things that I become agitated and will fight you tooth and nail to prevent you from transforming those beliefs into laws. That fundametally declares your religion to be sponsored by the state and undermines the Constitution and the rights of the minority to not be repressed by the supposed majority. I tolerate your right to believe and worship up to the point that you try to force those beliefs on me. Then I become INtolerant. However, Christians that are supposed to live by the idea of tolerance and acceptance can't tolerate that I don't wish to believe in their beliefs, so they try to force their views thru passing laws. Don't.

Here at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart. I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are.

I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I'm buying my dog biscuits. I still don't know. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores who they are. They don't know who Nick and Jessica are, either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they've broken up? Why are they so darned important?

I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I don't care at all about Tom Cruise's baby.

Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I'm a subversive? Maybe. But I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. Is this what it means to be no longer young? Hm, not so bad.

Next confession: I am a Jew and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish, and it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautifully lit-up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees.

I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they're slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. I shows that we're all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.

It doesn't bother me one bit that there's a manger scene on display at a key intersection at my beach house in Malibu.

If people want a creche, fine. The menorah a few hundred yards away is fine, too. I do not like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way. Where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and aren't allowed to worship God as we understand him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we used to know went to.

However, Christians that are supposed to live by the idea of tolerance and acceptance can't tolerate that I don't wish to believe in their beliefs, so they try to force their views thru passing laws. Don't.

Ok? I don't care about laws. As long as Christianity is Alive and people are not saved we are commanded to share the Gospel. In some ways we need to be tolerant, but not in everything. I'm not one of those guys that pushes the issue. That's not what we are supposed to do (IMO), so....I agree with you on that. The people that have signs and bullhorns saying "your going to hell" are not doing it the right way. It's countering what we are trying to accomplish. By showing the people in my life what Christ has done in mine and what he's done in thiers is the only way to do it. And if I ever come of prideful I apologize, it's so easy when your not face to face and behind a Keyboard.

In God We Trust became the official U.S. national motto after the passage of an Act of Congress in 1956.

Well that may be so, however, keep in mind that as of this day we do not have an official language in this country and yet many get angry at those who cannot speak english. So, in a few years when we may get around to "officiating English" as our language, we can say that english wasn't spoken here before that?

The idea behind separation of church and state was to prevent a proclamation of one faith being law. They were running from the Church of England in Britain and the Catholics in Spain. Catholics were persecuted here and denied the right to vote for a very long time.

And by the way...someone said Catholics have different sects? Wrong...there are different religious orders and they are "specialties" or "experts" on different tenants of faith. There is only one Catholic faith. If you are speaking of the Orthodox varieties, they are still in schism with Roman Catholicism at this time.

whoops, wasn't on paper money until then. but, nonetheless, we were well into the civil war by the time that happened (2 cent coin). Please tell me how this proves that the U.S. was FOUNDED as a CHRISTIAN nation.

Money and what was printed on it proves nothing (I never said it did), but reading and studying your American history does.